Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Thursday, 27 September 2018

Aadhar is Irreversible !


50  Gladiators : 50 million Spectators

=======================

Centuries ago , in Rome’s Coliseum , 50 gladiators fought one another ( and sometimes , a lion ) and 50,000 spectators cheered or booed


Last evening , on some 5 TV channels , some 50 panelists ( experts ? ) fought each other with their opposing views on Supreme Court’s judgment re  Aadhar  and 50 million TV viewers listened with rapt attention


This morning , 5 newspapers ( which I read ), carried millions of words of “ threadbare analysis “ of Aadhar verdict , by 50 authors


This is an example of how technology has re-written the rules of the “ Entertainment Game “ since humans fought in Coliseum !


It is futile to ask :
When should Aadhar be required and when not ?


What is pertinent to ask is :


Q ( 1 ) 
Is this judgment “ implementable / enforceable “ ?

A ( 1 )
No


Q ( 2 )
Is it at all possible to “ erase / delete “ trillions of terabytes of data of a billion people , lying on millions of computers , not only in India but around the world ?
     As of today , some 23,286 MILLION authentication and 6,415 MILLION eKYC , have been
     done for Aadhar !

    A ( 2 )
    No


Q ( 3 )
Can government amend the existing Aadhar law to cover those  “ uses “ which Supreme prohibits ?

A ( 3 )
Have no doubt that this law will get amended if BJP gets an absolute majority in 2019

It is also quite possible that the government may introduce following IDs which may not require amendments or a new law :

#   Citizenship Card ( like NRC in Assam )

#   Ayushman Card ( for availing Ayushman Bharat Scheme benefits )


Q ( 4 )
Can government include within the definition of the “ permissible services “ direct monetary subsidies such as Rs 1 lakh to buyers of Electric cars ( under FAME 2 ) ? ( Given through DBT )

A ( 4 )
Govt will try to convert every “ service “ rendered to citizens into some “ Monetary Value “ and then transfer such “ money “ through DBT into the bank account of the beneficiary , by calling it a “ subsidy
Eg : Rs 2,000 for issue / renewal of a passport ?


Q ( 5 )
Supreme court’s judgment seeks to strike a balance between the “ privacy “ of individual citizens ( data which he is forced to surrender for getting certain benefits ) and the larger good of the entire society .

But can Supreme Court or the government prevent a person from voluntarily parting with his personal / private data to anyone he chooses to give ? And protect him against its misuse ?

A ( 5 )
No way !
    In Aadhar , privacy stands for the “ private data “ furnished , viz : Name / Year of
    Birth / Gendre / Address / Photo / Finger Print / Iris Scan

    Why so much fuss about this scanty personal data , when those very,

·                Hon Judges of the Supreme Court
·                Expert Panelists 
·                Erudite Authors ,
have themselves, willingly handed over to ,

·         Search Engines
·         E Commerce sites
·         Mobile apps ( incuding WhatsApp / Skype / FaceTime )
·         Banks / Mobile wallet Companies
·         Number of Govt Agencies
·         Service web sites
·         ISPs
·         Mobile Service Providers etc ,
their own following “ personal / private “ data ?

    ( most willingly / in a matter of seconds / without a protest / with FULL permission to do
     with those data whatever they like under “ I accept the TERMS “ click )


·          Personal Details ( Name / DOB / Gender / Nationality / Bank Account No /  Photo /
           Aadhar Number / PAN etc )

·           Family Details  ( Who are members of immediate family ? )

·           Contact Details ( Address / Mobile No / Email ID / Skype - FaceTime ID /
            WhatsApp .. etc )

·           Social Media Footprint , consisting of surreptitiously compiled data such as :
 

·                #  Who I am ( name )


·                #  Where and when, I was born / who were my parents


·                #  Where I grew up / where I live currently


·                #  Do I live in a rented place or in an owned flat


·                #  What Schools / Colleges I attended (- and degrees I acquired )


·                #  What Companies I worked for and salaries I got


·                #  How do I travel to work (own vehicle or public transport )


·                #  Where I go for my holidays / what books I read


·               #  Who I married and who are my children (- and how many )


·               #  If divorced, how much alimony I pay and to whom


·               #  Where do I invest my money ( Banks – Funds – Equity etc )


·               #  How much I have borrowed, from whom, and for how long


·               #  My Credit Rating  ( including my spending history / card wise – wallet wise )


·              #  What are my eating ( food ) preferences and the restaurants I visit


·              #  What I do for entertainment ( Music  /  Movies  /  Videos )


·              #  What clothes I wear and how often do I buy


·              #  Who are my friends and how often I phone / text them / meet them


·              #  What ailments I suffer from and what medicines I take


·              #  What minor offences ( traffic ) or crimes that I have committed


·              #  What elections I have contested ( won and lost )


·              #  Who are my doctors / lawyers / brokers / agents etc


·              #  What web sites I visit and how often and for how long


·             #  What do I search on the Net / what RSS feeds I subscribe to


·             #  What TV channels I watch and Radio Stations that I listen to


·             #  Every photo of mine ever taken ( selfie or otherwise )



·            #   Every phone call that I ever made or received ( from my mobile )



·            #  Every Email / Text message that I ever sent or received


·            #  Every blog / comment that I ever posted on the Web



·            #  Every face-to-face communication that I engaged in


·            #  What “ moods “ I am experiencing 24*365 ( picked up by everything that I wear )



       #  Cultural Exposure ( Countries visited / lived-in, with stay-periods  / Foreign friends )
 

       #  Educational Details ( Degrees / Colleges )     

       #  Language Details ( Languages spoken / fluently - reasonably well 

       #  Experience Details ( Where worked / for how long ) .


  
    Q ( 6 )

   Is there some simple / elegant way in which citizen’s private data can be protected ( from
   unauthorized misuse by the social media ) and enable the citizens to earn some money by
   selling their ( aggregated / anonymized ) data ?

    A ( 6 )

    Yes !

    By govt incorporating into the proposed “ DATA  PROTECTION  BILL “ , elements of :




REFERENCES :
Data Privacy Law : a Pandora’s Box ?  [ compilation of 41 emails sent to Cabinet Ministers  ]


WHO  MIGHT  WANT  TO  READ  THIS  ?  [  apart from TV Anchors / News Editors  ]



      secy-dot@nic.in

      ceo@uidai.gov.in


      moona@iitk.ac.in

      grai@deity.gov.in



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'bibek.debroy@gov.in'

'ashima@igidr.ac.in'

'rr1@nipfp.org.in'

'ratanp.watal@gov.in'

'ceo-niti@nic.in'

'Indian Think Tanks' IndianThinkTanks@recruitguru.com

'amitabh.kant@nic.in'






27  Sept  2018



               


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